Tomorrow Is Another Day...

Good Things

Last week was a whirlwind of events, and this week looks to be even crazier... followed by another busy week visiting my sister in NYC, then another busy week with multiple family members in town.  Fortunately, I had an incredibly low key weekend to recuperate and prepare myself for the onslaught.

But I'm really not complaining, because things have been going so much better than I thought possible.  We made our payments for our IVF cycle and my fertility medications, and much to our great shock, the total came to just a little over half of what we had budgeted.  Partially this is because we were initially planning on the multiple IVF cycle payment plan, so deciding to just go with the one cycle dropped our payments by about $5000.  Then there was the fantastic news that Tricare will cover part of the medication, dropping that payment about $2000 from our estimate.  Then, when we went to the clinic last week to sign some consents and get our finances in order, we were told that they had had a meeting with Tricare just the day before and the company had agreed to cover the $900 room fee.

It's funny how when you're preparing yourself for a bill in the five digits, a total in the four digits seems like pocket change in comparison.  I mean, a LOT of pockets full of change, but you know.  It softens the blow.

Still, we haven't quite cleared the financial obstacles ahead of us, so we aren't blowing our ravaged, but still intact nest egg on a round the world cruise or anything.  We hope against hope that we'll be one cycle wonders, but just in case we aren't, it's good to know that we've got a small buffer to help us through another cycle.

Then there's our beautiful, beloved Charleston home which we're planning to put on the market in mid-February.  We met with our realtors last week, and while they helped us feel a bit more optimistic that our house will sell fairly quickly, there's always the chance that we'll be responsible for two stateside mortgages as well as a steep deposit (usually one or two months rent) and rent payments in Germany.  But they seemed reasonably confident that we'll be able to at least get our money back on the house, and if we're lucky maybe a little more.

We've been spending each weekend for most of January going through each room of our house and making brutally difficult decisions about what will come to Germany, what will stay in storage in the US and what can go to consignment shops or Goodwill.  It's absolutely astounding the massive amount of stuff that accumulates with time.  We have only been here for two years and don't have an attic or a basement, so I honestly have no idea how all of this extra stuff has been floating around our house all this time.  But we are making progress, and I only have a few closets left to purge and plenty of time before the movers arrive.

I've also been working quite a bit, and still enjoying every minute of it.  I'm nannying four days a week, and with additional as-needed babysitting jobs, I'm typically working five or six days each week.  I'm very proud to say that with just a couple more weeks of work, I will have earned enough just from my jobs to cover our fertility meds.  The only regret I have is that I didn't get into this business a long time ago!

This week is full of more work, more home improvements, and lots of fun times with friends.  We've only got a little time left before our life changes dramatically in multiple ways, so I'm trying very hard to live each day to the fullest and not wish away the now in exchange for the unknown future.  Times they are a'changin'!

Gets Me Down, Picks Me Up

Lately things have been pretty up and down for me.  One minute I'm super excited and pumped up about life, the next I'm crushed and sad and certain I will never smile again (that may be a hyperbole for dramatic effect).

What's getting me down and picking me back up?

Down: Every time we do more fertility testing we get more bad news.  Now the doctor is saying I may have polyps or fibroids in my Ute Monster and he needs to do another expedition, this time with a camera, to go in there and check things out and possibly remove anything that could be on my lining.
Up: My fallopian tubes are super duper clear, so A+ tubies!  You're the first organs doing ANYTHING right in this whole process!

Down: I'm still bummed that Apple didn't release the iPhone 5 this go round since I've been waiting over a year to upgrade to it.
Up: The 4S is still miles, ages, and gallons better than the 1st generation iPhone I've been using since 2007.  It's still serviceable, but it is so slow and I've been scared to update the IOS for years in case it grinds to a halt.  I'm mainly looking forward to finally being able to download the Pinterest app!

Down: Soooo much driving this weekend.
Up: But all that driving means that we'll get to see our Tigers play and see our families.  Plus, I get to subject Colby to hours and hours of audiobooks--woo!

Down: The value of our house in Washington has dropped even more in recent months.  Every time we think it can't get any worse--IT DOES.
Up: We're closing on a refinancing on the WA house in a little over a week that will bring our monthly mortgage down a couple hundred dollars, and every time I check comps for our SC house it shows that the value has risen significantly since we bought.  Please, please let that be true and hold out for at least another year!

Down: Today is Colby's last day of work before the deployment.  This is becoming ALLLLL too real.
Up: I'm sure there's something good about this, but I can't think of it.

Oh, I Know: 120+ days of being able to sleep with the bottoms of the sheets tucked in!

What have been your ups and downs this week?

The Pilgrimage

Yesterday was just what the doctor ordered for my current case of The Sads.  I got up at oh dark thirty, drove over to a friend's house and we loaded up for the three hour drive up to The Holy Land in Charlotte, NC.
If I could change just two things about the Charleston shopping scene, it would be to remedy our lack of an Anthropologie and an Ikea.  But after yesterday, I think I'm going to have to change my Ikea wish to a Nordstrom, because the drive up to Charlotte really wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  Especially since we had one 45 minutes away in Washington and still only went there twice over the course of nearly three years!

Here's a sampling of some of the Swedish lovelies I picked up.  (Please ignore how desperately my carpet is crying out to be vacuumed.)  Evidently I was on quite a black and white kick.  

The lampshade will be suspended from the ceiling behind this chair so I can use it as a reading nook at night when I don't have the natural light from outside.  The large black frame will go in our bedroom, and I'm hoping to pull of something artistic with the flower decals in the bottom left.  I'm using the laptop pad as we speak and it is far superior to the throw pillows I've been using for the past few years.  The tray will serve as a flat top to hold drinks and goodies on the new storage ottoman we're using as a coffee table in our living room, and the alarm clock is for the guestroom which is currently unclocked.  I'm not exactly sure where the sweet little "B" bookend will go, but I couldn't pass it up!

And I'm already planning my next trip up with Colby so that we can load ourselves down with Expedit bookshelves for the office.  They'll be replacing the MDF lovelies we each brought to our marriage, and maybe it'll still be crap MDF furniture, but at least it will be crap MDF furniture that matches.  Baby steps!

Hello! Goodbye!!

Ugh, what kind of lame blogger writes a super depressing, whiny post and then disappears for a week?

One whose mother and aunt are coming to town to visit for a week!

For the past four days, I've been in full on OH MY GOD HOUSEGUESTS freak out mode.  I cleaned the baseboards, donated a garage-full of various thingamabobs to the Kidney Foundation, painted two rooms, washed the pollen off of the porch and outside furniture, replaced most of our ratty old aluminum blinds with wood blinds, got the dogs groomed, and did about 18 tons of laundry.  I still have a mountain of cleaning ahead of me, as well as putting together the guest room and bathroom after tearing them apart for painting purposes.  I say "I", but my dashing husband also helped out a good deal this weekend, as well as pulling off a pretty fantastic Air Expo for the Charleston public.

Tomorrow, the royalty touches down in Charleston, my house will once again revert to a disaster area, and we will have so much fun over the next seven days.

I just need that one day for my mom to look around my house, and see what a grown up I am.  One with cleaning schedules and a fairly steady hand with the paint roller.  I don't guess I'll ever grow out of that "Look!  Look!  See what I can do!" phase.

Anyway, all of this to say that I have not pitched my sad, barren womb off of the Ravenel Bridge, but probably won't be around to blog-world too much over the next week.  I am optimistic that maybe if I eat enough, my food baby may actually evolve into a real baby.  There's nothing to do but try, right?

Adieu!  Adieu!  To you and you and you!

Culinary Adventures

This weekend comprised some of the best eating I've done all year.  It's been nearly 16 hours since I ate my last bite of food, and I am still full.

Saturday, we became the proud new owner of an adorable baby palmetto.  Some of our friends are clearing a few trees out of their backyard to open up their beautiful view to the marsh, so we were fortunate enough to inherit one of the homeless trees.  The tree had its fronds hurricane cut to help it survive the move, and now we're just watering it and hoping that the transplant sticks.  Our baby tree is on the left, and on the right are some trees from our front yard that hopefully it will eventually grow up to look like.

After spending some quality time with our baby tree, I went for a four mile run, got all gussied up and then we headed over to a friend's house for smoked port tacos and a delicious array of desserts!  My pal is fortunate enough to have a super sweet sister-in-law living with them for a few months while she creates her portfolio for her DESSERT CHEF school.  Oh, yeah.  She made us a "tasting menu" of desserts including a lemon and blueberry parfait, ice cream made of an incredible chocolate cake with coconut cream frosting and fondant, and finally a bacon ice cream.  And you know what?  I want more bacon ice cream!  We felt a little bit like we were the judging panel on Iron Chef, America!

Sunday, we had tickets for the Culinary Village at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in Marion Square (Named as one of the top 5 wine and food festivals in the country by Forbes Traveler--way to go Charleston!).  The weather forecast was bleak, with thunderstorms expected and there was a torrential downpour around 9 in the morning.  However, when we started driving to the festival, the sun was trying to break through the clouds, and by the time we arrived, the sun had made its triumphant appearance and the skies were perfectly blue all afternoon.  We tried samplings of meals, desserts, sauces, and various wines from local restaurants, mail order bakeries, wineries from near and far, and all in all had a delicious afternoon.  My favorite wine of the day was Simi Cabernet, and when I went to write it in my wine notebook when I got home, I found that I had actually already named it as a favorite wine.  At least, I know I am consistent!

We got home around 5 in the evening, and Colby spent the rest of the night working on a Masters project while I worked my way through some magazines and watched the season premiere of Army Wives.  The weekend was incredible, but the fun won't stop there since tonight we're heading back downtown to see the Russian National Ballet perform Romeo and Juliet, and tomorrow is MARDI GRAS!!!  Laissez le bon temp roulez!!

Food, Fun and Flooring

Oh what a lovely weekend!  It's fitting that Monday dawned with a healthy dose of fog in the air to lend a grey cast to my feelings of mourning now that Colby is back to his long days at work and I... have a house to clean.

We kicked off the weekend with a Friday out on the town in downtown Charleston.  It has been over a year since the last time I went out to a bar--well, excluding my visits to NYC to visit my sister, because vacations don't count--just to "go out".  And before that, well, it had probably been another year.  We've just definitely left that part of our lives behind us, and we're both pretty okay with that.  But one of our college pals was in town for the week with his squadron, and by gosh and by golly, we were puttin' on our fancy shoes and venturing out into the night.  We started out with a delicious seafood dinner at Hank's Seafood, then headed over to the upstairs deck bar at Henry's on Market Street.

Initially, we felt young and spry with our energetic, going out selves, but as the night wore on, we felt as though we aged with each passing minute.  Evidently, the Charleston bar scene is a little... um... fancier (sluttier?) than the Baton Rouge college town bar scene I cut my teeth on.  The girls were all wearing barely there minis--cut up to here and down to there.  Their hair was teased.  They turned up their shrill giggles to 11, and they skulked among the fighter pilots with talons extended and breasts bared as much as public decency laws will allow.  By the time midnight rolled around, Colby and I were sending emergency eye signals to one another, silently plotting our escape.

Saturday greeted us with a beautiful blue sky and perfect spring temperatures (please, no one tell Charleston that it's still only February), and I managed to drag myself out of bed at a decent hour so that I could meet a friend at an adorable little restaurant/antique shop in historic Summerville, This Whole House.  It was a delicious lunch with great company, and I was glad to squeeze in as much time as possible with her since she'll be leaving me soon for greener Air Force pastures.

When I returned home, our taxes had magically been done, inserting a tidy sum of money back into our pocketbooks.  One of the very few benefits of Colby's job is that tax time is always a very happy one for our little family.  Sunday, we stayed pretty low key, just making a trip out to Lowe's because we cannot go a full month without giving them our money.  We also watched the Oscars and I was very happy about all of the Best Actor/Actress/Movie winners, and lusted very openly over Anne Hathaway's stage looks--more specifically the blue Armani Prive and the red Atelier Versace.  God.  Gorgeous.  

However, the best part of Sunday was when the man of the house entered into a verbal agreement that we need to replace the hideous, crud infested carpet downstairs.  I am pretty sure that was legally binding.  HUZZAH!!!!!  Small victories, people.  Small victories.

Oh, What A Beautiful Weekend!

Have I ever shared my theory about how much nicer the world would be if everyone just worked slightly longer days four times a week, and the weekend was three days?  I mean, I don't really care--there is very little difference between a week day and a weekend when you are a super hard-working stay-at-home-wife (This house doesn't clean itself!  I got an email about what a stay-at-home-mom's salary should be, so I estimate my take-home should be about 75% of that four trillion dollars or whatever).  IRREGARDLESS, it makes such a big difference to Colby's level of happiness and relaxation, and by extension, MY happiness and relaxation.  Anyway, this is my way of announcing that I will be running for President in 2012 on the platform of 3-day-weekends.  Voting is sexy!

So yes, we had a three-day weekend, and it was indeed splendid.  One of my very lovely, talented friends gave birth to her second equally lovely and talented child last week, and Colby and I were immediately pulled in by the tractor beam of adorableness.  We met the little princess when she was just one day old, and the tiniest, brand-newest baby I have ever held in my quivering arms.  I was terrified I was going to crush the little bundle of delicious baby, but still managed to fall totally in love.  We brought dinner over on the 4 day anniversary of the baby's birth, and it was amazing how much she had filled out in just those few days.  She was still as delicate as an expensive brazier, but riding the wave of confidence based on the success from our first day together, I was less afraid of crushing her and could focus all of my energy on not dropping her.

Sunday, we got together with our friends who moved here from Washington at the same time we did, and headed downtown to celebrate the fact that no one had to wake up early the next morning to go to work, whether that be in an office or in the kitchen washing dishes from the night before, BECAUSE THAT IS WORK TOO YOU KNOW.  So, we went to Amen Street, and enjoyed the 3 for $30 menu.  The shecrab soup was one of the best I've had, but sadly, I was not a fan of the shrimp and grits.  Things ended on a happy note with the chocolate terrine, a delicious mousse-like flourless chocolate cake with cream and blackberries.

Monday was a bit more low-key as the weather was gloomy, and we weren't inspired to actually get dressed.  Colby, the handyman, whipped together some sturdy wooden shelves in some dead space in our garage and WALAH, instant storage for all of our Christmas crap that was slowly taking over our entire second floor.

So, now it is Tuesday, which feels like Monday and the week will creep by slowly because everyone always expects a four-day week to be short, but they never are.  Unless the four days are Monday-Thursday.  This is my theory based on science.  And why I will specify in all of my Presidential race debates that the weekend will begin on Thursday evening and go through Sunday.  So, Mondays will still suck.  But that's as it should be.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #8

It's 9:30 in the morning, and I'm already wiped out.  Whoo!  Yesterday's relaxing day turned into a morning spent bonding with the DirecTV guy as he installed our satellite dish (SUCK IT, COMCAST!!) and then an afternoon running errands in the 110 degree heat index.  Then I had the worst time sleeping.  I don't think I slept more than an hour at a time all night.  Ugh.

But I woke up this morning, put on my big girl britches, and went out to replace the embarrassingly dead flowers around the bottom of the tree in our front yard.  Holy shit, it is hot outside.  So, after an hour digging, planting and collecting debris off the lawn, I'm already about to die.  Fortunately, today's blog is an easy one--Wife of a Sailor's MilSpouse Fill-In!

What is ONE thing you’d like civilians to understand about being a military family?
Well, I should preface this by saying that every family is different, including military families.  I guess for me in particular, I just want you to know that we're really not that abnormal!  I swear!  As I've talked about before, I tend to get a lot of "wow, I don't know how you do it" type comments, and I just think it's a product of people trying to reach out and be kind, but honestly, there's nothing particularly special about us.  It's just our life.  We still have the same conversations, do dishes, cook dinner, argue over stupid things.  We're just like you--we just spend more time apart.

What is your favorite mistake?
Haha, getting super drunk at a college party in 2002 and making out with Colby all night in front of all our friends.  Super embarrassing at the time, especially as we spent the next few weeks awkwardly avoiding eye contact, but I think it worked out pretty well in the end!

What indulgence could you give up for a year?
Hm, this is a tough one...  I guess I would say professional hair coloring.  I already do my brown out of a box, but I still like to get highlights put in every couple of months.  I could live without that.

If you could be a winged animal, what would you be?
I would be a butterfly.  They have a great sense of style, sit around in the sun a lot, and drink nectar.  Sounds good to me!

What is one question you’d like to see asked in a future MFF?
I'd like to know people's favorite assignments and why!  The Air Force has already told us to start putting together our dream sheet for our next assignment, and I want to know what people really think about the places they've lived.  Maybe we could get some insight into where we should go next!

Musical Theater Geekery

This has been my week, in a nutshell (Help!  Help!  I'm in a nutshell!)

Dryer begins flashing mysterious code.

Angela:  Hello, some shit is wrong with my dryer.

Dryer Phone Lady:  Hello, have you tried unplugging your dryer and plugging it back in?

Angela: ...

Dryer Phone Lady: ...

Angela: No.  (Unplugs and re-plugs in dryer.)

Dryer Phone Lady: ...

Angela: Some shit is still wrong with my dryer.

Dryer Phone Lady: Okay, we will fix it for you!

Many days later...

Dryer Repair Man:  I hear some shit is wrong with your dryer.

Angela: Yes.

Dryer Repair Man:  I will fix your shit.

Angela: ...

Dryer Repair Man: ...

Dryer Repair Man: I do not have the appropriate shit to fix your dryer.  Will order it!

Angela:  ...

Many days later...

Dryer Repair Man: Hello, I am here to fix your dryer with the appropriate dryer shit!

Angela:  Good.

Dryer Repair Man: ...

Angela: ...

Dryer Repair Man: I do not have the appropriate shit to fix your dryer.  Again.  In the meantime, here is some useless dryer shit.

Angela:  ...

MEANWHILE!

Upstairs air conditioning ceases to function, Angela moves downstairs.

Angela: Hello, I would like to file a service request for my air conditioner.

Air Conditioner Service People:  Okay, we will have someone contact you!

People Who Are Meant to Contact Me:  It seems we do not exist and you will never again have air conditioning upstairs.  We hope you enjoy the lasting physical benefits of having your own personal 1000 square foot sauna.  We hear you can sweat out lots of toxins that way!

Angela:  *Head Explodes*

Basically, it's hot and all of my clothes stink.  But I am STILL excited about life because of the two following pieces of news.

1)  GLEE karaoke is coming to the Wii!  Yes, it is true!  I wish I could remember the person to whom I said, "Man, wouldn't it be a good idea to have Glee Karaoke instead of Rock Band?" because then I could call that person up and be like "OH MY GOD!  Am Glee prophet!  They totally stole my idea that no one else ever had before me and was definitely not the only next logical marketing step!"  Except I'd probably email them.  Because I don't really make phone calls, except in cases of dryer and air conditioning emergencies.

AND... drumroll please...

2) It seems as though Wicked, the movie, is finally going to happen!  And that it will be the musical version.  I got all excited about this news way back in July of 2008, but now rumblings are surfacing again, and this time they sound much more official.

"The hugely successful musical "Wicked" is on its way to becoming a feature film, and that news has already attracted the interest of several high-profile directors.

Although the project is in its very early stages of development, "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy and "Star Trek" and "Alias" helmer J.J. Abrams have already expressed interest. So have Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Nine") and James Mangold ("Knight and Day", "Walk the Line")."
from Zap2News&Buzz

I think either Ryan Murphy or Rob Marshall could do an amazing job directing, but what do we think about casting?  In years past, I would have loved to have seen Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth reprise their roles as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, but sad as it is to say, I think they're too old for the parts now.  They have to play teenagers convincingly for a good portion of the story, and it just wouldn't work for me.

Elphaba is easy in my opinion, especially if Ryan Murphy really does end up attached.  Lea Michele has the pipes, the acting ability, and the quirky look that the role calls for.  But what about Glinda?  I honestly can't think of a single person who could play her sympathetically and pull off the operatic segments, and I absolutely hate the thought of dubbing.  I think this part calls for an unknown, much like Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera (but NOT Emmy!).  As for Fiyero, this may be controversial, but I really like the idea of Corbin Bleu.  He's grown up into a handsome, talented young man who would bring with him a huge fan base from High School Musical.

Any other Wicked fans out there?  Who would you cast as Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero?

Shoes and Other Things

I'm going to take a little break from the trip report today and talk about some things that are either only tangentially related or--gasp!--unrelated at all to Japan!

First up, I have a couple of shoe recommendations for you.  Recommendations as in, if you are going on a vacation that involves great amounts of walking and still desire to wear somewhat attractive shoes, listen up, ya hear!  I've worn and reviewed some moderately comfortable, yet definitely cute, shoes in the past, but I think I have finally hit the jackpot on vacation shoes.

Lands' End Classic Ballet Shoe

I have never worn such a comfortable ballet flat.  I don't know why these are so ridiculously comfortable--is it the soft leather, the cushy insole (yes, I added a Dr. Scholl's insole for extra shock absorption), the rubbery traction on the sole that prevented me from slipping and sliding all over Japan?  I don't know, but I walked miles in these shoes and suffered no more than the expected slight discomfort that comes from pounding the pavement for hours in any pair of shoes.  Incredible.

Skechers Active Bikers Straightaway

If you're in the market for something a little more sporty, yet sleeker than the typical tennis shoe, you can't go wrong with this offering from Skechers.  I don't love the look of traditional tennis shoes with shorts because I'm already a little sensitive about the size of my feet.  I felt like these actually made my feet look smaller, and they were like walking on a cloud.  I do recommend breaking them in for a couple of days as I got a small blister on the inside of my arches just from wearing them without socks, but it was nothing a band-aid couldn't handle.  I was so happy with my shoe choices, and between the ballet flat and the sportier Skechers, I felt like I had a shoe to wear with pretty much anything.

In other news, I've been having a tough time adjusting back to life on Eastern Standard Time.  I've never really experienced more than the most minor of jet lag on the first day arriving in a new country, and part of that has always just been travel exhaustion.  But I'm going on day four of being back home, and I'm still not on a normal schedule.  On Tuesday, I passed out doing homework at 3 pm and woke up from a dead sleep at 9 pm.  Yesterday, I fell asleep watching tv around 7:30 pm, woke up at 10:00 to feed the dogs, and then couldn't sleep past 6:00 this morning.  My big exciting goal for today is to stay awake until at least 10 pm and hopefully sleep through the night.

Of course, it might be helpful if I could actually sleep upstairs in my bed, but our upstairs air conditioning decided to die on us the night before I left for Japan and it hasn't been repaired yet.  With our weather lately, this means that upstairs is generally around 85-90 degrees even in the middle of the night.  So, I've been sleeping downstairs on the sofa where the air conditioning is in perfect working order and the sun is streaming viciously through the window by about 6:30 in the morning.

Finally, I am two weeks into my LAST MASTERS CLASS!!!  This means that unless I have some other surprise awaiting me from Grand Canyon University, I should be masters complete in exactly 6 weeks.  I cannot tell you what an amazing feeling that is, compounded by the fact that this class seems like it'll be a breeze.  Senioritis has set in in a major way.

Thanks so much to everyone who's been kind enough to welcome me back, and I hope you've been enjoying my Japan recollections.  I know reading epic trip journals isn't everyone's cup of tea, so please don't give up on me, just a few more to go and it'll be back to my usual blathering!

Sayonara!

I wanted to take the time to write a longer farewell post, however between a mad dash to complete house projects, getting ready for Colby's deployment, prepping for Japan, finishing my math class, having some pals over for a lovely dinner and now dealing with a busted air conditioner, the past few days have been more than a little hectic.  Let's just say, I'm leaving for the airport in 3 hours and I'm still packing.  Sleep is for wusses!  And people on seventeen hour international flights!  Mmmmm, melatonin...

So, this abbreviated goodbye will have to do.  I'll be back on July 5th with photos and travel stories, as well as a desperate need to be cheered up as Japan will be behind me and the 4 long months of Colby's deployment will be stretching before me.

Until then, take care of you, have a wonderful 4th of July weekend if you're into that kind of thing, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!  That should give you plenty of leeway, but will require that you not eat any green olives or climb any particularly tall trees.

Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away

Well, I'm leaving for Japan in one week (I'm actually leaving on Friday, but since I have to be in the car on the way to the airport at about 3:30 am, I'm just not counting that day), and as if I don't have enough to take care of in the next week, yesterday we woke up to a $900+ charge on our credit card for our automatically paid water bill.

Yes, you read that right.  NINE-EFFING-HUNDRED DOLLARS.  For WATER.

Colby immediately went to work trying to figure out what is wrong, calling the water company, making calculations, and generally stomping around the house with a look of stormy consternation upon his face.  I just tried to stay out of the way and resist the urge to go to the bathroom.  We're currently working under the assumption that the meter is broken.  According to our toilet, it uses 1.6 gallons when it flushes and according the meter, it is using approximately 16.  You'll notice  a very importance difference in decimal places in those two numbers.

Granted, we've been using a lot of water lately as we've put in new grass seed and a new garden and we've been trying to keep them thriving in our recent near drought conditions.  But we have definitely not used $900 worth of water.  So.  That's been fun!  I'm thinking of just building an ark and floating away from all of our cares and worries on all of this water we're supposedly using.

I'm also stressing a bit because my next (and last) class begins on the 24th, the day before I leave for Japan, and I know I'm not going to have time to finish all of my work for the first week before my flight and I'm not going to have any homework time during my trip.  Last summer, there was a week long break in the summer, and I thought it fell between these two classes, so that's why I thought the trip would work out perfectly time-wise.  But apparently, Grand Canyon has gotten rid of their summer breaks.  Argh!  So, I'm going to email my professor as soon as possible and request an extension on my first week's assignments.

I'm still searching for the perfect day bag for Japan.  I got the Sherpani Flora Minor in the mail the other day, and while it's an awesome day bag, I'm concerned about also using it as my sole carry-on.  My goal is to carry only one day bag and a 24" expandable suitcase to make train-hopping easier, and I'm bringing this small hideaway tote in case I absolutely cannot cram anymore souvenirs into my bags.  I ordered a different day bag that is a little larger than the Sherpani to do a test run--now I just hope it gets here in time!  I really want the Sherpani to work because it is so much cuter, but I feel like the Rick Steves is going to be a better size.

(L) Rick Steves Avanti Flight Bag, (R) Sherpani Flora Minor

On top of that, I have homework to finish for the last week of my math class, I haven't even started packing or organizing for Japan, and we have two pages of house projects to finish before Colby leaves.  But on the positive side of things, our bedroom, master bath and upstairs hall is finally painted after three days of workmen tromping through our house and it looks AMAZING!  And we're leaving behind all of our cares and worries on Saturday for a romantic weekend in downtown Charleston.  We can only do what we can do, and everything else has a way of working itself out.  This weekend I just want to focus on enjoying the time I have left with my husband and eating dessert.  Priorities, people.  Priorities!!

Countdowns!

As depressed as I am about the fact that when I leave for Japan I'll be saying goodbye to Colby for over four months, I'm trying to look on the bright side of these next few months.  I've made a lot of fun plans in an attempt to  keep myself entertained, and if nothing else, at least there will be less laundry to do!  Here are just a few of the things keeping my spirits up as our days together are dwindling.

1 day until... We get our master bedroom and bathroom painted!  I can't wait, it's going to be so beautiful.  I may never leave my bedroom again!

8 days until... We spend the day in Charleston, have dinner at a fancy restaurant, and stay the night in a charming, historic inn.  I'm looking forward to walking our city after dark and getting to feel like I really live there.

14 days until... I leave for 10 days in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.  We've firmed up our itinerary, all of our prior bookings have been made, and we're totally ready to be completely Lost in Translation!

~6 weeks until... A long weekend with my long lost besties in Washington.  This one is a little harder to nail down exactly as I'm contemplating taking a Space A flight with the Air Force.  For the first time.  By myself.  Eep!

10 weeks until... I am FINALLY at LAST after more than two years of work DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!  For real this time.  After this, if I so much as hint at the fact that I want to further my education, please slap me.  But please remember to refer to me as "Master" while doing so.

3 months until... My theatrical sister and San Francisco-based frister (friend AND sister!) are planning a simultaneous trip to Charleston where we'll be uniting the West coast, Northeast, and the deep South.  I really, really hope it all works out according to plan!

3 months & 3 weeks until... I head to a quaint Vermont town for my dear friend's wedding.  She has had a trial of a year, and I can't wait for her to have a magical wedding weekend and to be there to watch it all unfold.  Plus, Vermont!  Maple syrup!  Or something...

4 months until... I head home for a week or so to spend time with family and attend my mother's annual Pretty in Pink party, benefiting breast cancer research.  I may be off on my calculations, but I believe that this year we will be celebrating 5 years since her victory over cancer, and I can't wait to be there and support her cause in person!

5 months until... Colby is back home and this whole deployment nonsense is behind us for another couple of years!!

The Weekend And Then Some

Now that I'm living life as a lady of leisure, I base my weekends on Colby's schedule--if he's at work, it must be a weekday, if he's at home, well, I guess it's a weekend!  So last week, Colby had a Friday through Monday off for Memorial day, and we jam-packed our weekend full of fun and projects.

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to see Sex and the City with a group of girls on Thursday night.  I've got to be honest, the vicious backlash that came after the release of this movie has me flummoxed.  I'm not sure what people are expecting from these movies.  Granted, I agree that they aren't as good as the tv show, but the movies are a fun, escapist couple of hours in a theater with girlfriends.  So, with that being said, I got a bunch of laughs and thought the movie was highly entertaining.  Plus, any excuse to lay eyes on John Corbett for a little while is OKAY by me!

Friday, we joined some other friends for a morning of boating on the Wando River.  It was an absolutely perfect day to be out on the water, and while I didn't join in on the wake-boarding or dare hurl my body into the creature infested water, I did a spectacular job of stretching out and absorbing as many sun rays as possible.  I wish I had a better picture to share, but Colby has been severely slacking in the photo-taking department lately!  It was this or one of seventeen thousand photos of water.

Friday afternoon and ALLLLL day Saturday were spent shuttling back and forth between our backyard and Lowe's, where we are thinking of petitioning for our own parking space.  Colby built a gorgeous retaining wall for a new herb and flower garden and I finally got around to cleaning out the garage.  We're waiting for the delivery of the flowering plum tree that we bought as the centerpiece for our garden, but as soon as everything is in the ground, I'll definitely post more pictures.

Sunday, we gave ourselves the day off and went to a barbecue.  I brought along this cake, which was not only the prettiest cake I've ever made, but the most amazingly delicious cake by a mile.  Of course, as was the theme of the weekend--no pictures, but you can easily replicate my barbecue experience by eating half of the batter out of the bowl, baking the cake, and then eating it all in one sitting.  Happy Memorial Day!

Monday, we got back to work on our respective projects, and I filled my new china cabinet with all of my lovelies.  Also inherited from the same grandmother whose hope chest I mentioned in my bedroom makeover post, was a beautiful collection of Fostoria American crystal and her Brentwood White Lace wedding china.  My parents also gave me a gorgeous set of Magnolia china years ago, and I finally have a place to display the main pieces instead of stashing them away in cardboard boxes and cabinets.

All in all, it was a spectacular, though exhausting weekend, and Colby and I are down to just three more weekends before his four month long deployment.  I haven't talked much about the deployment because I still haven't accepted that it's actually happening, but we did make our list of things to get done before he leaves, and are scratching things off of it each day, so it's definitely starting to become more real.  Ugh, who says acceptance is any better than denial anyway?

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

In our last house, the master bedroom was the last room to get a makeover--yes, even after the guest bathroom.  I just didn't really have any inspiration, and I figured we were only really in there when we were sleeping, so what did it matter what it looked like?  Therefore, I always felt pretty neutral about our bedroom, not like it was a comfy, cozy oasis in our house.

I'm turning over a new leaf in this house, before we buy our patio furniture, our new bookshelves for the office, paint the guestroom or figure out what on earth to do with that fourth bedroom, I am overhauling our bedroom. Now, while I'm terrified of birds in real life, I'm completely obsessed with them from a fashion/decorating standpoint.  Show me any home decor or clothing featuring a bird graphic, and I will fall head over heels.  So, the theme for our bedroom is little cheepers!

Walls: Valspar Midnight Fog
(Pay no attention to the bedding and furniture!)

West Elm Pin-Tuck Duvet Cover and Shams
 
Bed Bath & Beyond Tailored Bed Skirt

Grey Flying By Rectangle Pillow (Etsy seller, Joom)

Worldstock Tree of Life Wall Hanging (Haiti)

Anthropologie Bird Doorstop

I was also lucky enough to inherit a beautiful old hopechest from my grandmother when she passed away years ago.  The interior is in perfect condition, sadly, she used the chest as a plant stand, so the veneer and finish on the lid was destroyed.  I sanded it down years ago and painted it a cream color with gold accents, but it's been a bit damaged in the three moves it has endured since then, so it's time for an overhaul.  I'm thinking a little paint and a birdie decal will help it fit into the bedroom perfectly:

Valspar Autumn Fog

 

 Lewa's Designs Birdies and Branch Vinyl Wall Decal

It'll be a little while before everything comes together, but I can't wait to fall asleep in my peaceful, bird-bedecked bedroom!  Do you have any room makeovers in the works?

Oh What A Week

Wel, last week was such a jam-packed crazy bunch of days, and now I find myself exactly back where I was last Saturday.  Colby finally got home from a three-week long trip last Saturday and on Sunday his parents came in town for a few days to see the Charleston sights and help us out with projects around the house.  We finally got around to installing a dog door on the porch, a microwave over the range, tore out some old ugly plants and put in some new lilies and dahlias, and generally ate our way around the city.

It's been a challenge teaching the dogs how to use the dog door.  Jack will go through it on his own about 50% of the time, but Ellie will only go through if she sees Jack do it first or if you lift the flap for her so that she can see through it.  I'm trying to step back and let them figure the door out on their own now that they've been in and out through it a number of times with assistance, but mostly they end up circling the porch unable to figure out how to get outside, or stuck out in the yard, staring at the screen door.  This is my entertainment.

I started the South Beach Diet a couple of weeks ago in an effort to improve my diet which had deteriorated to X-tra Cheddar Blast Goldfish for lunch and cereal for dinner and hopefully lose a couple of pounds of fat that are covering my super sweet Jillian Michaels muscles.  The diet went well for the first week and I lost about three pounds, all of which were returned to my butt as I totally fell off the wagon and ate every carb and high calorie item I came across while my inlaws were in town.

It was a fun week, but now things are back to "normal" as Colby is once more out of town on a trip, I'm restarting my diet, and instead of planning an itinerary of Charleston attractions, I'm working on a lesson plan about place value in math.

Hm, this post is so uninteresting, I just got distracted by the Weather Channel.  Here's hoping you're having a significantly more exciting weekend than I am!

A Distraction of Microscopic Proportions

Today was meant to be  a day all about the joy of shoes, as we compared and contrasted the relative merits and drawbacks of my New York shoe contestants.  Instead, I am sitting downstairs in a nearly empty room, while a man cleans all of our carpets, and am awaiting a delivery from Amazon of mattress, box spring, and pillow covers.

It appears we have been infested.

With what, I do not know.

A couple of weeks ago, I received what I thought was a red ant bite on my leg.  It itched, and I grumbled about it, and waited for it to go away.  A couple of days later, I got a few more bites all in a row on my left arm, and I noticed that the "red ant" bite appeared a little less red antish than it had previously.  I continued to itch and grumble, as the bites mounted up.  We decided it was probably biting gnats as I'd been spending a lot of time outside in the evenings working in the garden.  But then, as I spent less time outside and the bites continued to increase in number, that seemed to be a less and less likely option.

There was still a lot of itching and grumbling going on.

Ever since I saw a 20/20 or Dateline or Nightline or somesuch special on bed bugs, I've been absolutely paranoid about Colby bringing bugs home from one of his trips.  He frequently makes fun of me as before I get in bed, I'll fling the covers back suddenly, in hopes of catching one of the blood suckers scuttling around beneath the sheets.  So, of course, the more I thought about it and the more time I spent with Dr. Google, the more I was convinced that our house was crawling with tiny bugs.  Colby raised the valid question as to why he wasn't being bitten, and even more valid, why after intensive searching we still hadn't found a speck of physical evidence of a bed bug infestation, but I was itchy, grumpy, and still intensely grumbly, so I stripped our bedroom of anything fabric and ran it through the sanitize cycle in the washing machine.  I also ordered the aforementioned mattress covers, and set to applying cortisone cream liberally.

At last count, I have somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty to sixty bites covering my arms and legs, and one particularly cheeky bite inside my belly button.  Colby has... zero.

Last night we slept on a bare mattress with just a sheet that is to be thrown into the washing machine shortly, and I wore a long sleeve shirt, pants and socks to bed.  And I still woke up this morning with more bites--or "bites" I don't even know at this point.

Currently Dr. Google has me convinced that I've managed to somehow contract scabies, perhaps as a throwback to my former life as a fearful pirate sailing the seven seas.  I already have a doctor's appointment set up for Thursday, so I'm going to ask if they can check out what is rapidly becoming a rash covering my appendages so I don't have to make another appointment and wait even longer to find out what is wrong with me.

Sooooo, the point of all this is that in my intense panic and grossed outedness, ordering shoes fell by the wayside.  But no parasitic mite should be able to take away that one last joy--you may feed off of my blood and ravage my skin, but you shall not take my shoes!

A Hippity Hoppy Easter Weekend

I don't know why I even bother worrying about having fun on holiday weekends away from home (home in this instance equaling my parents' house), because they always turn out to be amazing and I've wasted all of this time worrying about nothing.  I feel like there's a lesson hidden in there, not terribly far below the surface.

Friday, I had the bizarre experience of running into Colby on his lunch break when I went to lunch with a friend.  We were making our way toward the counter to order our sandwiches when she said, incredulously, "Is that Colby over there?"  I thought she was just joking and didn't even turn to look at first, but then when she said it again, I looked over, and there he sat, chowing down on a sub and looking at me suspiciously.  I think he thinks I'm stalking him.  Anyway, we laughed and sat next to each other, and I don't know, maybe you had to be there, but it was amusing to me.

Saturday, we went to the first Charleston farmers' market of the season, and met up with a few different groups of friends.  The crowd of people there was a bit overwhelming, I think in part due to the fact that it was the first market of the year and also because people were taking advantage of the beautiful warm weather before it turns oppressively hot.  After the market, we ate barbecue then went to Lowe's and bought everything in the entire store.  Or so it seemed.  Mostly we bought a bunch of herbs, and now I'm raring to go on our backyard garden.  Colby is less so.

Easter was another gorgeous day, and we headed over to our friend's house for a delicious Greek Easter featuring lamb, Greek salad, cinnamon potatoes and green beans in crushed tomatoes.  And cheesecake.  Though I think that last part might be more American Easter.  It was an amazing meal which led to an amazing nap on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.  No holiday is complete without a nap on the couch.

So the weekend was the perfect combination of busy and relaxing, and I'm looking forward to a fun week with Colby still at home for the foreseeable future.  Today I'm going downtown to wander through people's private homes for the afternoon, and then tomorrow I'm seriously starting to put the pressure on Colby to build my raised garden so I can get to planting.  I hope you all had an amazing Easter weekend and enjoy your return to your pre-Lenten existence.

I, for one, am going shopping!

Spring Has Sprung!

I was beginning to think it would never happen.  I'd started to think that maybe we had brought Washington weather with us to South Carolina and that the temperatures in the 50s were here to stay,  But at long, long last, the pollen came to town and brought the warm temperatures with it.  It's been in the upper 70s to mid 80s for the past few days, and on the weather this morning all of the projected highs were in the 80s.  Yippee skippy!!!

Of course, with those temperatures finally showing their faces around here, and summer creeping its way around the corner, I'm starting to get a lot more serious about my summer prep projects.  First and foremost is getting the fence finished and getting some landscaping in so that I can lay out in the backyard with a bit more of a screen between my pasty white body and the neighbors.  Colby has been working his tush off on the fence, with a bit of assistance from your truly, and it looks absolutely amazing!  He only has a couple of panels to put up along the side, and then 8 more post holes to dig and some panels to put in to connect the fence to the house.  I'm so proud and lucky to have such a handy husband, and I'm already lobbying for him to put in the patio before he leaves for his deployment.  He informed me yesterday that it would probably be better for me to wait until the post-fence-construction euphoria had set in to mention that project anymore.  Noted.

I'm also starting to get a little more serious about my Jillian Michaels time.  Granted, it's surprising the muscles that I've been feeling after working in the yard, but shorts season is here and while I don't want to lose any weight, I do want to tone up a bit more before I have to prance around the beach in the equivalent of my underwear.  I'm coming to terms with the fact that long-distance running is just not a good thing to do to my body, but I had made a lot of progress with my run time in January and February, so I'd like to get back to those little 2.5 to 3 mile jaunts around the block.

And the most exciting thing about this time of year?  I am only TWO DAYS AWAY from the lifting of my Lenten ban on shopping!!!  I've only had three slip-ups and have bought absolutely zero clothes, shoes or accessories since before February 16.  I bought two magazines and an iTunes album before I even thought about the fact that by doing so I was technically "shopping", then last weekend I went to a local arts fair and saw some adorable ducks made out of iron and rock that I absolutely had to have. Since the company selling them is located in Minnesota, I figured they might not be back next year, and requested a special Lenten dispensation from Heaven.  But on Sunday, I will once more be able to shop without fear of a lightning bolt from above!!  First things on the list to buy?

 
(L: Lands' End Swim Essentials Underwire Bikini Top, R: Lands' End Chino Utility Shorts)

  
(L: Lands' End Smocked Slub Jersey Dress, R: Lands' End Patterned Cotton Lawn Skirt)

(L: Anthropologie Creative Outlet Tank, R: Anthropologie Hourglass Surplice)

(Ann Klein Sestina)

And PS, when did Lands' End become so awesome?!?  Do they have a new designer for this season, or am I just fully coming into my old ladyhood?

A Perfect Day

This past Saturday was one of those perfect days.  A day where you are just productive enough to feel a sense of accomplishment and just lazy enough to feel completely relaxed.  The only way it could have been better was if Colby were here, but frankly, if his presence were required to make me happy, I'd be pretty miserable 95% of the time.

I started the day by sleeping until the sunshine streaming through the windows wouldn't let me sleep anymore, then began my day with an appointment with Jillian Michaels.  Once she'd kicked my flabby butt for about an hour, I got dressed, spent some time organizing the office, did a little homework and a little writing and then decided that the rest of the day was far too beautiful to be spent sitting inside.  So I set up camp on a lounge chair in the backyard with my dogs, my book and Words With Friends.

Can I just tell you?  I absolutely adore my house.  In all of the stress of house hunting, our biggest concern was that we wouldn't find a house we loved as much as our Washington house.  We even joked about how nice it would be if we could just put our old house on a trailer and drive it east.  Obviously, that wasn't an ACTUAL possibility, but oh, how glad I am that we did not do that.

I set up my chair facing the house, the better to sun myself, and at times I'd find myself just gazing around the backyard with goo-goo eyes.  The Bradford Pear is in full bloom, if you squint and look in exactly the right direction it looks like we have a completed picket fence, they hydrangeas are sprouting leaves, there was just enough of a breeze to ripple the pond and cormorants were swimming back and forth in search of lunch.  I've envisioned the ideal location for a patio off the screened porch, thought about the perfect patio furniture and am dreaming of a long Southern summer, just like the ones I used to know, spent out in the yard.

Yes, it's a small dream, but our old backyard was so tiny that every time I went outside, it felt as though seven neighbors were all staring down at me, observing my every movement.  Now we only have one neighbor, our yard is about five times the size of our old one and if I dare to wear my swimsuit to soak up the sun, I won't feel like I'm performing a strip tease for the local gentlemen.  I'm in heaven!  Although with all of the Jillian I've been doing, at least I could feel like I was putting on a pretty good show.

Anyway, I know how boring it is to hear someone gush about their happiness and rhapsodize about landscaping plans, so I promise to come up with something tragic and/or dramatic in short order, but for now, I'm just going to revel in my perfect Saturday--sunburn and all!

Making A House A Home

I can't believe another week of this year is practically over and done with.  I know it's a cliche, but I can't quite wrap my mind around how rapidly time is slipping through our fingers.  It doesn't seem possible, but it has already been 3 full months since we packed up our cars and started the long trek east bound and down across the country as we moved from Washington to South Carolina.  In that time babies have been born, multiple birthdays have been celebrated, the season's have started to change, and new friendships have begun.

I also sometimes find it surprising that it's been less than three months that we've been living in Charleston.  I feel more at home here after only two and a half months than I ever felt in Washington.  I made wonderful friends there, we loved our house, and I grew so much from the time I moved there as a 23-year-old--practically a zygote really--but I never felt like it was home.  Now, when I look out at our pond, wander past stately homes on the Battery, go to book club meetings, or make lunch dates with friends, it all just feels so natural.  So right.  Like this is a place where I could really be happy forever.  I've never had that feeling before, and it's a little unnatural in its naturalness if that makes even a speck of sense.

And yet, we are only here for three years or so, so we're doing our best to enjoy it while it lasts.  Last weekend we went with friends to the Charleston Wine + Food festival, and had a wonderful time trying samples from local restaurants and vendors and drinking copious amounts of wine in 1-2 ounce servings.  The weather was a glorious, sunny 60ish degrees and it was a perfect day for a festival.

Colby and I spent the past week fencing in the backyard and making landscaping plans.  We're thinking of doing a raised vegetable and herb garden in one corner, a wall of azaleas and/or camelias along the fence line as screening, and a flower garden with a bench or swing in the other corner.  I've never been one to get terribly excited about gardening, but after our modest success with herbs and rhododendrons last year, I'm feeling a little more optimistic about our future garden retreat.  Particularly now that I've been schooled in the importance of deadheading.

Sadly, for now the fence and the garden are in a holding pattern as Colby left this morning to do his patriotic duty flying the unfriendly skies.  I'm feeling a little sorry for myself, but today is a grey, misty day, I have a new box of tea to try, and a wonderful book that I have to finish before Monday.  So, all in all I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend surrounded by puppies, hot tea and a riveting novel.  I hope your weekend is equally delicious.

Things That I Love--Haven't Done This In A While Edition

I've decided to give up shopping for Lent this year, with a specific focus placed upon clothes, shoes, bags, makeup and books.  That's just where most of my money goes, and it's frequently when I'm bored or need a pick-me-up that I browse online shops and money just tap dances right out the door.  Last year, I gave up Facebook and Twitter, and it was a huge sacrifice (as ridiculous as that sounds) but I came back from it realizing that I really could live without Twitter in my life.  I'm still just as Facebook addicted, but I maybe after 40 days separation from Banana Republic and White House Black Market, I'll realize I don't need quite as much consumerism in my life to be happy.

Anyway, to help myself in this transition from shopping compulsion to shopping avoidance, I wanted to share some of the things I've been loving lately.

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette
I am so, so, so in love with this eyeshadow palette.  I think my love for Alice in Wonderland is pretty well documented here--I adore the books, all of the movies, and I cannot wait to see the Tim Burton version coming out next month.  I had never tried Urban Decay eyeshadow before, but I had heard good things, and once they came out with an Alice themed palette, all resistance was futile.

At first, the $52 price tag seemed a bit steep, but when I broke it down I realized that it was actually less than $3 per item in the palette which is definitely comparable to drug store prices.  And the colors are absolutely gorgeous.  There are a few that I'm still working up the courage to use--namely the bright teal--but the shadows are beautifully pigmented, the glitters have a bit of fallout, but give a lovely shimmer.  I'm not much of a matte eyeshadow girl, but those of you that are may be disappointed at the lack of matte colors (I think there are maybe 2 or 3?).  Overall I am incredibly pleased with the product, both in the makeup that's included and the adorable packaging.  I'm having fun playing with different applications, so maybe at some point I'll share a few of my favorite combinations!

Hudson Jeans the Economic Way

Hudson jeans are, simply put, the greatest jeans I have ever put on my body.  They are soft and comfortable.  The legs are slimming and the perfect length for heels, but also work with flats.  The way the pockets are placed give me a Gisele Bundchen butt and the low rise waistline is ever so slightly higher in the back which keeps any worry of a plumber's crack at bay.  That said, as perfect as these jeans are, they are also crazy expensive.  Expensive as in $170-$190ish before tax.  So, I've only been able to bring myself to buy a pair once, and that was when both Colby and I were working well-paying jobs.

Sadly, this was also a couple of years ago when I was a few pounds heavier, and while the jeans still fit, they're definitely beginning to border on "loose fit" territory.  I really wanted to buy another pair, but couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a pair of jeans right now.  Then suddenly it struck me, if I can buy Coach and Louboutin on eBay, then why on earth can't I buy Hudsons?  And lo and behold, they were there in spades just waiting for me to swoop in at the last second and steal them from unsuspecting bidders.  I bid just the teensiest bit too early on the auction because I got so excited, and ended up paying about $10 more than I should have otherwise, but still managed to get a brand new pair for $55.50 and they should be arriving on my doorstep today.  Color me excited.

Michael Sowa Prints
Well, I'm cheating a little bit on this one, because I don't actually own it *yet*, but I'm already pretending that I do.  I'm picturing our bedroom painted in a calming slate blue, with this lovely print hanging over our bed.  I absolutely love bears, and it's sort of a running joke between Colby and I that I'm always on the lookout for a bear in the wild, so I love the image of the little girl strolling by a pond with her bear friend.  It's so absurd, yet lovely.

I first heard about Michael Sowa when I was reading an article about home decor inspired by the movie Amelie, and my second favorite print of his is "His Master's Voice".  How can you not love art that inspires both beauty and giggles?

So how about you, anything you're loving lately that I'm not allowed to buy until Easter?  Have you given anything up for Lent?

Angela's Guide to Overcoming Laziness

Step 1: ...

Sooooo, that's still a work in progress.

I have been making great efforts to actually Get Up!  Off of the Sofa!  And Do Stuff!!  I would say overall it's been a fairly successful endeavor, but I've got to tell you it's been a challenge.

Last weekend was filled with enjoyment and nausea.  On Friday night I tried out a new restaurant, Virginia's on King and then took in a couple of sketch groups from the New York based Upright Citizens Brigade who came to Charleston to perform as a part of the city's four-day comedy festival.  Dinner was good, though not my favorite cuisine experience in the lowcountry so far, and the comedy was hilarious.  Saturday, a pal turned 30, so I headed over to her place where we managed to relocate a couple of bottles of wine from their original containers to our stomachs and pass out on the sofa at an undetermined time.  I woke up Sunday, a little groggy and disoriented and spent the rest of the day trying to make my house stop wobbling around every time I got up to go to the bathroom or eat a donut.

Oh, and then I WATCHED THE SAINTS WIN THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP!  Look, I'll admit it, I'm totally a bandwagon fan.  It's not that I was ever opposed to the Saints, it's just that I never watched professional football, so I was pretty neutral one way or another.  But come on, they're my home team, they're tearing it up out there on the field and I'm damn proud of them.  Does that make me a super-fan?  No.  But you can bet your sweet ass I'll be cheering from the deepest place in my soul while they're playing in the Superbowl.

Anyhow, after the excitement of last weekend, I retreated deep into my introvert cave to recharge my socialization batteries.  I've made a bit more progress around the house as far as organizing the daunting piles of crap we still have stored behind closed doors.  Colby comes home next weekend, and I'm hoping the next week will be spent in a massive attack on the projects that try as I might, I simply can't (read:don't want to) do by myself.

This weekend should be a quiet one, so I'm planning to finish a book, work on a little scribbling of my own and potentially try out my new Jillian Michaels DVD.  There's also a pretty good chance that I some point, I'm going to work in a cupcake, just to counteract the harmful effects of too much healthy exercise.

Ennui

Every night is like the opening scene to Bridget Jones Diary around here these days.  Messy hair, pajamas, bottle of wine, yes sometimes there's even some random singing, much to Jack's chagrin and Ellie's embarrassment.  She is such a teenager.

I didn't realize how accustomed I had become to Colby being around after we spent 37 whole days together during the holidays and the move.  That might be an all-time record.  Now that he's been gone for ten days, I feel like it's been at least half a millenium.  I'm sticking with my plan of getting out of the house on a regular basis, but it has been a few days and I'm starting to go a little stir crazy.  Now that it's not so bloody cold outside, I think I'll take the dogs on a walk to explore the neighborhood just so I can see something other than the inside of the refrigerator.

I've been applying for jobs, but so far the only responses I've received are suspiciously spammy in nature.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's weird to require a credit report to be run prior to scheduling a job interview, yes?  I'm supposed to start back at school at the beginning of March, which I think will give me a much needed sense of direction, but until then, I'm left to my own devices.

I did find a book club to join, but won't have time to finish the book before the first meeting, so I'll be starting in February.  It's at a wine shop.  Is that not the most perfect marriage of entertainments?  I also found a tea group on meet-up.com, but it doesn't appear that they've had any actual meet-ups yet, so I don't know if that will pan out.

I feel a bit like I'm just twisting in the wind though.  I'm running out of projects around the house that I feel comfortable doing on my own, so I'm sort of in a holding pattern there.  I should really start back running or resume my meetings with Jillian Michaels, but I'm in that pre-working out phase before you've established a routine where you just can't convince yourself to put on a pair of tennis shoes and get to it.  That and my tennis shoes hurt my feet.

Ah well, it could be worse.  I know Colby will be home for at least a little while in just three weeks, so it's not as bad as it could be.  I mean, he could be gone for four months over the summer and fall!  Oh wait, he will be...  Back to our regularly scheduled Shiraz and chick flicks.

Fee Fi Fo Fum

I think I live in a house built for giants.  Or maybe the Papa Bear from Goldilocks.

While most things about the house are juuuust right, there have been a few little bumps along the road of getting to know each other.  Because we were the first people to live in our last house, there were some quirky sides to homeownership that we didn't get the chance to experience until now.  There were quirks in spades to that house as well, don't get me wrong, they were just different quirks.

The first thing I noticed while slaving away in the kitchen, finding nooks and crannies to stash more dishes than would be needed at a dinner party with the entire population of China, I noticed that the cabinets were a bit taller than I'm accustomed to.  That's nice! thought I, to myself, we have the extended height cabinets!  But then, as I was reaching up as far as my arm could stretch while elevated as high as my tippy toes could take me, I realized that I could just barely reach the third shelf.  Making that extra special fourth shelf nearly equivalent to a trip to Siberia.  Less cold though, the parallel has only to do with distance.  So, we went to Lowe's and I bought a stool.

Then we went to unpack our wardrobe boxes and I noticed that the top rack of the closet, where traditionally I have stashed all of my purses is also located geographically somewhere around the latitude of the out of reach fourth shelf.  So, I have determined that I shall have an upstairs stool and a downstairs stool.  And judging by the closet heights in the other rooms, perhaps and office stool and a guest room stool as well.

We are living in a Colby-sized house and I feel rather like I've climbed a beanstock to arrive here.

That doesn't really have anything to do with the house having a previous owner, but here's one for you.  Is there any way of removing those furniture divets in the carpet?  Our entire house looks as though a terrible golf player has come through and knocked out chunks of carpet.  In addition to that, bordering most of the rooms there is a nasty blackish residue that doesn't appear to be mold, but doesn't come up with a vacuum cleaner.  My solution to both of these problems is to just rip up the carpet and put in wood floors, but I'm having trouble convincing Colby that this really is the most fiscally responsible decision.

In addition to that, the front door has a finnicky bolt and the bedroom is always about 8 degrees colder than the rest of the house.

But even with all of that, I still think that this is a really great house and can't wait to see how it turns out when all of the walls are painted, our pictures are hung, and cardboard boxes aren't functioning as china cabinets.  Until then though, I need to go fetch a stool and find somewhere to cram the contents of these last few boxes.  Too bad we aren't at the top of a beanstock, or I'd just pitch them off the side for some old farmer to discover and ponder over.  I'm sure a load of Gone With the Wind music boxes and paper doll books would come in very handy on a farm.

Broadcasting Live From South Carolina

We're here!

Actually, we've been here for almost a week now, but things have been just the teensiest bit hectic.  Starting with the 13 hour drive from Louisiana to South Carolina, to the arrival in a home without electricity or gas resulting in yet another night in a La Quinta, to the depositing of over one hundred boxes that needed unpacking, the past six days have been exhausting.

But even with those setbacks, we truly love our house, and despite the endless loads of laundry and epic dish washing marathons the house is really starting the come together and look like a home.  Most of our furniture is in its final resting place, all of the rooms are fully functional if not beautifully decorated, internet and television will be turned on tomorrow, the downstairs will be painted within the next weekish, and the dogs seem to have realized that this is home for now.

Colby left this morning for a month-long school about 8 hours away, so it's just me around these parts finishing the unpacking and potentially hanging some pictures once the walls are painted.  When I first moved to Washington, I spent a lot of time sitting around the house by myself watching tv and feeling lonely.  I'm going to try very hard not to let that happen here.  Even if it's just to get out and drive around or go see a matinee, I want to make an effort to get out of the house at least a few times a week.  Actually put on clothes and makeup and enter into society.

My New Year's resolution is to force myself to be less of a homebody when I'm not working and Colby isn't around.  I have a small collection of friends here and I hope that eventually I'll find a support system that keeps me as busy and entertained as the friends I left behind in Washington.

But that starts tomorrow.  Today I am reading a book, watching movies, and laying around in my pajamas all day, feeling just the tiniest bit sorry for myself.  Tomorrow the plumbers, the painters, and the cable guy.  The day after that, the world!

Endings & Beginnings

I feel like the events of the last post I wrote took place in another lifetime.  Since that day, we have packed up all of our belongings, moved out of our house so that tenants could move in, lived with a friend for a week, and are now about halfway through our trip from Washington to Louisiana.

Surprisingly, everything has gone off so far without a hitch (I say that now, and tomorrow we'll probably go 500 miles in the wrong direction or something equally ridiculous).  Our movers were friendly types who seemed to take pretty good care of our stuff as they spent two days packing and then loading up all of our worldly goods.  It's amazing what a pizza and some cranberry juice can do for the movers' morale.  Our tenants moved in just hours after we finished our cleaning, and we headed about 20 miles south to stay at a friend's house until it was time to start our drive.

It was sad to say goodbye to our house, but we didn't really have time to get too emotional.  I feel good about the people who have moved in, and as much as I'll miss my friends, I can't say that I'll miss Washington too much.  It was really nice to have that last week free to take care of last minute errands and scratch items off of our to-do list.  We closed on our South Carolina house on the 11th, so it's officially ours now--empty and just waiting for us to arrive.  We enjoyed quality time with our Washington friends, though it was sad not getting the chance to say goodbye to all of our friends in person.

The road trip started on the 12th, kicked off with a final goodbye drink at Starbucks, a stop-off in Salem, OR to visit a friend and an overnighter in charming Ashland, OR.  We made it down to San Francisco on the second day where we camped out for two nights, visiting friends in the city and playing tourists for the day.  The next night was spent in San Bernardino after a nightmarish two hours of Los Angeles traffic, and tonight we're in balmy Tucson, AZ where we've enjoyed a delicious dinner with my cousin and his wife and a hotel viewing of Speed.

We still have two more La Quinta nights ahead of us before we make it to Louisiana where we'll spend the week of Christmas with our families and then it's off to South Carolina to kick off our next Air Force assignment.  I'm going to make an effort to check in again more often between now and the actual move, but in case I'm not back in time, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate and Happy Holidays to the rest!

Let the Sun Shine

Well, God bless Seattle.  It's hard to be too sad about my return to Washington with the sun beaming down through my windows and a high in the low 70s today.  I'm still mucking my way through all of the tasks that come along with a return home after more than a week away, but the blow is certainly softened by the gorgeous weather.

Not that I'm getting too used to it, as they're projecting a return to showers and upper 40s/low 50s by midweek.  But I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

I've been toiling away in the back yard trying to coax some grass back into existence after our unusually harsh winter and months without any first aid for the dog damage.  Have I ever mentioned my feelings on nature?  Namely that I don't much care to have contact with it?  Yesterday, I slaved away picking up an amount of dog poo that would horrify Roger and Anita then nearly had a heart attack when a little brown and red frog leapt from his hidey hole in the grass into my face.  Today, I turned on the water hose at the spigot only to find that I hadn't turned off the nozzle, thus shooting myself in the face with the high powered jet of water I used at the end of my yard work yesterday to clean off the side of the house.

Not that inside is looking any less cheery as I have a paper to write that I managed to put off doing the entire time I was on vacation.  But honestly, as long as the sun keeps shining, it's going to be pretty difficult to wipe the smile off my face.

Take that Seasonal Affective Disorder!

Resolute(ish)

Every year I claim that I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, and then every year I find myself making New Year's resolutions.  I think it's a hold over, knee-jerk statement from back in the days when I really didn't make resolutions.  When life seemed like an endless road, full of possibilities stretching out before me.  When I didn't put so much thought and effort into living, and just lived.  Every year that passes, every birthday I celebrate, I feel those possibilities slipping away and the frightening finiteness of life becomes a little more real.

I know that I'm still young, that life is far from over and every day is another opportunity to do something great, but I have reached the age where I have realized that if you do want to "be anything you want to be", you have to work at it.  If you're lucky, opportunity knocks, but it's far more likely that you'll have to hunt it down with a tranquilizer gun, tackle it, and hold on for dear life.

So, anyway, all of this to say, I made some resolutions centered around becoming a better person, both in mind and body, and I'm resigned to the fact that I apparently am a New Year's resolution kind of gal.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks, he becomes." ~Mahatma Ghandi

1) Reading: In continuation of my somewhat belated resolution last year, I'm going to try going another year without reading any "chick lit".  I think I did a decent job cutting the genre from my reading list in 2008, with just a few journeys back into fluff territory, and I was surprised to find that I really didn't miss it and the few that I did read felt a little empty and formulaic to me.  I'm not knocking a good Sophie Kinsella or Jane Green when you need to give your mind a break, but I feel much more inspired and moved when I'm reading books with a little more heft to them.  I've always kept a list going in my sidebar of the books that I've read recently (a list that has been woefully out of date lately), but I've also started a new page (found in "Bonus Features" under my profile picture to the left) tracking the books I've read in 2009, along with a little personal review.

2) Writing: In short: Write more.  I suffer from a strange malady in which I lay awake nights thinking up stories and plot twists, characters and intriguing themes, then I sit down to write them all out and am completely blocked.  From what I understand, the only way through writers block is to just keep writing, even if it's complete crap (which is not to say that everything I write isn't complete crap--I am incapable of judging for myself).  My resolution for this year is to write at least one short story that I deem worthy of submission to various literary contests and journals and to write at least fifteen pages per week of the ongoing trainwreck with the working title, Gemini.  A subresolution would be to come up with a less cringe-inducing title.

"Health is not valued until sickness comes." ~Thomas Fuller

3) Eating: After spending the vast majority of this winter wishing I could either die or trade in my nose/throat/stomach/head, I have realized that both Colby and my mother are right: I eat like crap.  And I think it's safe to assume that my steady diet of candy, cheese, starches, and cereal is having a less than healthful effect on my body.  I don't expect my diet to magically change overnight, but I am going to make a real effort to eat better.  Here are my goals:

• Pizza no more than once a month
• Eat at least two servings of a fruit or vegetable every day
• Drink at least 3 large glasses of water every day
• Take a multivitamin every day
• Dessert no more than twice a week (and YES, Angela, that does include breakfast items from Starbucks)

4) Exercise: Did you know that I bought the 30 Day Shred on October 19th?  Do you want to know how I feel about it or how well it worked for me?  Well, I don't know, because I haven't so much as OPENED it.  Funny thing these workout DVDs.  You actually have to DO them for them to be effective.  Oh, and that elliptical machine sitting up in our loft?  Haven't been on it since before Colby got home from his deployment.  More than two months ago.  So, yeah, safe to say there is plenty of room for improvement here.  Improvement along the lines of doing at least thirty minutes of cardio three times a week and completing the 30 Shred by the end of February?  Yeah, I think that would do it.

So, those are my goals for 2009.  I feel like there's a certain amount of effort involved in all of them, but none of them are completely unrealistic or a set up for failure, so I hope that by the time 2010 rolls around (oh my God, that looks crazy!) I'll be able to look back on this post without feeling completely defeated.  What about you?  Did you make any resolutions this year?

(Oh!  And in case you haven't seen my tweets or Facebook--no, my house did NOT flood and I was back home by about 4 o'clock the next morning.  Thanks for your good wishes!)

ARGH!

So, I was all set to come home, curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a backlog of Property Virgins episodes and tell you all about my New Years resolution to be a more positive person, and  outline my various self-improvement strategies.  But then it started raining, and the snow started melting in far off lands, and the rivers started rising.  And then they shut down all of the roads leading into my house.

AND THEN THEY EVACUATED MY DADBURNED CITY!

I left work early, hoping to at least check on the dogs, but I couldn't get through on any of the roads before they started evacuating my neighborhood.  A friend managed to hop some fences and get into my house so that he could get Jack out of the crate in the garage and put him inside, but I had to divert to another friends house for the night.  (I say that like it's terrible--I love Nicole and bless her for letting me stay here, but you know, I can think of less natural disastery circumstances under which this hang out could have occurred.)  Anyway, I'm sitting here as she and her boyfriend take turns sucking up the water that keeps seeping through the walls of her basement apartment, trying not to worry about whether the dogs are eating each other (or all of my possessions) and if we did or did not buy flood insurance.

But quite frankly, I'm just not feeling all that positive.  Mostly I'm feeling a little dirty and greasy, since this morning was my non-shower day, quite tired because I was at work from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm with a break of just a couple hours mid-day, and sad because of course Colby is out of town right now on one of his mini-deployments and I could really use a good cuddle right about now.

Searching desperately for the positive in all of this, at least my friend DID manage to check on the dogs and they should be okay until I can try to spec ops my way into the neighborhood tomorrow, I got fed a pretty damn tasty tortilla soup for dinner, and I am presently working on my second enormous glass of red wine.

We'll see how tomorrow goes...